about.”
Her heart slammed into her ribs.
Damn it, she needed to get out of there. If she didn’t, she’d find herself crouched on the floor at his feet, begging him not to leave tomorrow. Not to leave ever.
She kissed his cheek and pulled away unwillingly.
He released her.
With a heavy sigh, Sophie dressed quickly. How was she ever going to walk into this apartment again without thinking about Nathan and this afternoon?
Nathan walked her to the front door, scooping up her bag from the floor in the lounge room on the way. Her hands trembled as she took it from him. Trembled so hard, she dropped the bag, spilling its contents across the floor.
Both she and Nathan bent to pick everything up. Purse, phone and make-up were thrown back inside.
“Can’t have you losing these.” Nathan held out a white envelope, which Sophie took gratefully. It held the concert tickets. Nathan would know that because she’d carefully printed the name of the concert, the date, the venue and the seat numbers on it.
“Nathan, I…” What was she going to say? I had a really good time? I don’t want this to end? Heck, maybe she could go the distance and admit the truth, embarrassing them both in the process. Nathan, I’ve fallen in love with you.
Maybe not. “Know what my only regret is?”
He shook his head and considered her with brooding eyes. “Tell me.”
“I wish I’d had a chance to record you speaking.”
His eyes narrowed.
Sophie swallowed. “The next time I’m lying alone, naked on my bed with only my iPod for company, I would love to listen to the sound of your voice.”
Nathan gave a strangled groan.
Sophie smiled. “I’ll think of you. And every time I hear Speed play Loving Eyes , I’ll be imagining you and your voice. And me. And the spa.”
“Fucking great,” he muttered, his tone a mixture of humor and frustration. He shifted from one foot to the other. “I get to spend the entire night tonight with blue balls.”
She flashed him an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that.”
“Not half as sorry as I am, sweetheart.” He melded his mouth to hers in a bone-melting kiss.
When he pulled away she stood shakily and opened the door. “G’bye, Nathan,” she whispered. “It was nice meeting you.”
He gave her one last gorgeous smile. “I’ll see you in my dreams, Sophie Rose.”
Chapter Seven
“Criminey, Soph, what did you do this afternoon?” Tasha threw the question at her as they headed up a flight of stairs inside the Sydney Football Stadium, the only venue big enough to fit all the Speed fans.
“What do you mean?” Sophie puffed. Her legs ached, the pain a mixture of stiffness from her afternoon activities and exertion from the staircase they’d just ascended.
“You look kind of different from usual,” Tash said.
She felt different. As though she’d had a life-changing experience. Being with Nathan had essentially altered her somehow. But she wasn’t ready to speak about him with her friends. Wasn’t ready to share the details of her afternoon.
Sophie voiced the first excuse that popped into her head. “Uh, maybe that’s because I was at the dentist today?”
“Ah.” Tasha nodded as though that explained everything.
“He work on your teeth?” Kaz wanted to know.
“Mmm hmm,” she answered vaguely. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, you’re pretty much glowing,” Kaz told her.
“Uh-huh.” Tasha agreed. “Even I can see it. You’ve got this, I don’t know, golden sheen to your skin.”
Sophie snorted. “Have not.”
“Have too,” Kaz insisted. “Although it’s more pinkish than golden.”
“It’s these steps. The sheen is perspiration, plain and simple.”
No, it wasn’t. It was the satisfied flush of a woman who’d spent the afternoon in bed with a sinfully sexy man. A man she’d like to spend a lifetime of afternoons in bed with but regretfully would never see again.
“Did he give you happy gas?” Tasha asked.
“Who?”
“Duh. The
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